Unlikely Friends
by Eamon Gallagher
Summary: By special request of one of my friends, I am taking on a Bambi fanfiction. This one deals with a group of hired rangers who are sent out to find a poacher who's been hunting restricted game. rated T for mild language later on.
1. Chapter 1

Unlikely Friends

**Introduction/Man**

**How is Man portrayed in every film that deals with animals or the environment? Well, the Nostalgia Critic certainly has it down: "Yes, Man. Human in shape but satanic in spirit, Man likes to spend most of his time destroying things because he is worse than the Devil if he was a pedophile. You can spot the especially bad ones by having two-dimensional personalities, being written horribly, and having a chin size that even Bruce Campbell would be jealous of. They kidnap animals, burn down rainforests, and probably slept with your mother. If you should see man anywhere in your neighborhood, please make a pretentious animated feature with confused morals and no sympathetic three-dimensional villains. Man: if there's anything worse, it's not human. (The Nostalgia Critic's review of Ferngully 2)" That is basically how Man is portrayed in many animated movies. In the Walt Disney movie **_**Bambi**_**, Man is portrayed as a ruthless poacher. But what about those who are responsible for the arrests of poachers? That is what this fan fiction looks at, by special request of one of my friends. Set after **_**Bambi II**_**, Bambi is learning from his father how to watch over the forest. These are still troubled times in the forest, as Man is still on the hunt. One day, though, a group of Men is seen surrounding the meadow, but there is something strange: they aren't shooting any animals and they seem to be scanning the trees for something…or, from what Bambi, Faline, and the Great Prince hear, someone.**

**Chapter 1: The Meadow/The Rangers**

The sun rose in the Great Forest, and a young, juvenile Bambi was awakened by the bright rays of light peering through the cracks of the den where he and his father resided. He stood up and stretched his legs before walking outside to see his father standing there, listening to the forest.

"Ah, so he is awake." the Great Prince said as he turned around to face Bambi.

"Yeah. Sorry about sleeping in, dad." Bambi replied.

The Great Prince smiled at his son. "Oh, it's no problem. It doesn't seem like we have much to do today anyway. Even at this hour we should have everything done in time for you to go off with your friends."

"Really? Woohoo!" Bambi shouted. The Prince smiled at his son's enthusiasm. He wasn't as strict on his son as he was before and was becoming more of a father to him while maintaining his reputation as the Great Prince. The two walked on to check on the meadow to the south of their home. Morning was in full swing as they walked through the forest. Many of the animals greeted them as they continued on. As they walked, they ran into a small, friendly rabbit.

"Hey, Bambi! Good morning Great Prince!"

"Ah, good morning, Thumper." the Great Prince said.

"Hey there, Thumper." Bambi followed.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Well, Bambi and I are going to check on the meadow. I know what you're thinking and don't worry. He'll have plenty of time to play." the Great Prince said.

"Woohoo!" Thumper yelled. "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you. We'll see you later, Bambi." and the young rabbit took off. The Great Prince chuckled slightly at his spirit before leading Bambi toward the meadow. They arrived to find things relatively quiet. The does were out playing in the field while the stags were sparring.

"Well, it certainly seem as though there isn't anything to worry about." the Great Prince said. As he and Bambi were out walking among the other animals, a doe and her fawn came up to them. The young fawn came running straight up to Bambi and stopped right in front of him, causing him to fall backwards.

"Hi, Bambi." the fawn said.

"Oh…uh…hi, Faline." Bambi stuttered. After their accidental kiss a few weeks earlier, Bambi had begun to develop more of a romantic view of Faline. It was becoming harder to talk to her and he was starting to become more protective of her. With Man still on the hunt, he felt that he was responsible for making sure she was safe. He knew that if anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Faline, on the other hand, had pretty much felt the same way about Bambi since the day they met. She was always happier around him and hated when a certain stuck up fawn by the name of Ronno kept making fun of him. She also appreciated the fact that Bambi stood up for her whenever Ronno wouldn't let her go off on her own. And, like Bambi, their accidental kiss brought her feelings to a whole new level.

"What are two doing out here?" Faline asked

"Oh, we're just making sure everything's alright. There's really not much to do around here with spring on the way." Bambi said

"Oh. So I guess you'll have a little time to spend with everyone today?"

"He'll have plenty of time for that after we finish surveying the meadow." The Prince said.

"Oh. Um…is it alright if I follow along?" Faline asked

"…Oh, I suppose there's no harm in it."

Faline let out a giggle and followed Bambi and his father through the meadow. The Great Prince surveyed the activity in the meadow and decided to let Bambi and Faline talk.

"So, Bambi, I heard from one of my friends that Man is actually being hunted."

"Really? By who?"

"You're not gonna believe this, but Man is actually being hunted by Man."

"What do you mean? He's…he's hunting himself?" Bambi asked in confusion.

"No. There are other Men hunting the Man who hunts us. I hear that they're not far from here."

"I wonder why they'd be hunting their own kind."

"I don't know, but at least they're helping to protect us."

"Yeah, that's a good thing."

"Bambi, we're done for the day." the Great Prince said. "Why don't you and Faline go off and find your friends?"

"Thanks, dad." Bambi replied and the two took off. The Great Prince smiled at the sight of the two fawns. They spent a while looking for Thumper, Flower and the others, but for some reason, they couldn't find them.

"I wonder where they are." Bambi said

"Well, they're probably off in the north meadow. But you know, I don't really mind being alone." Faline said in a playful tone, causing Bambi to blush. "Hey, Bambi bet you can't get me." Faline said as she ran off.

"Oh yeah? Watch me." Bambi said as he chased after the young doe. The two chased each other for several minutes. As they were chasing each other, Bambi fell into a small pond and Faline giggled at the little incident. Bambi started to blush a bit from embarrassment. As he stood up, he felt Faline's lips meet his cheek and his eyes widened. However, unlike the first time Faline kissed him, he wasn't angered. In fact, that kiss made him feel amazing. The two then continued to run around and have fun. Their roles switched after a while and Bambi was now being pursued by Faline. As they were running, they heard a strange sound in the distance. It didn't sound like the voice of any animal. In fact, it didn't sound like a voice at all. It was music. They listened to the song and Faline recognized the sound of the instrument.

"I know what's making that sound." Faline said.

"Really?" Bambi replied.

"Yeah. I heard that kind of sound a long time ago. My mom said it's called a harmonica. It's one of Man's instruments."

"Huh." Bambi then started to walk in the direction of the music.

"What are you doing, Bambi! It's Man! What if you get hurt!" Faline said.

"I just wanna see. I'm not gonna go charging after him." Bambi replied as he walked on. Faline kept calling to Bambi and tell him to come back, but to no avail. She then decided to follow him. He kept searching for the sound of the harmonica as it started and stopped several times. As they were looking for it, it stopped all together. This was somewhat of a relief for Faline.

"Huh, that's weird." Bambi said.

"Well, maybe it's a good thing. We don't know if that was the Man who's hunting us or the Man who's hunting other Men."

"Yeah. I guess it's best not to find out the hard way, huh?"

"Yeah. Well, anyway, where were we?" Faline said as she ran off, giggling as she ran.

"Oh no you don't." Bambi said as he chased after the young doe. The two kept chasing each other, laughing, and having a great time together.

Once again, Bambi was running from Faline. As he was running he ran into an unfamiliar obstacle. It wasn't a tree and it seemed to have been somewhat pushed forward when he ran into it. He shook his head after he fell back and he looked behind him to see Faline frozen in terror, looking at what Bambi had run into. He looked up to see that the object he had hit was what every animal in the forest feared: Man. He was about seventeen years of age and was dressing in a plaid shirt and jeans, with a belt that carried many different devices.

"Bambi, run!" Faline shouted as she took off. She looked back to see that Bambi wasn't moving. He was just frozen with fear. "Bambi, come on!" She shouted again. But Bambi just stood there. She then saw Man stooping down and reaching out his hand toward the frozen fawn. "BAMBI!" she shouted. But to her surprise, Man then started to pet Bambi's head.

"Well, you startled me there, buddy." Man said. Both Bambi and Faline were struck with confusion. Why didn't Man try to kill Bambi? Faline then figured that this must be the type of Man hunting the hunters. She then began to creep back towards Bambi, but recoiled a bit when Man looked at her.

"Oh, is this your friend? It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you." Faline then crept a little closer and hid behind Bambi, causing Man to chuckle. He then noticed Bambi looking at a shiny, brass object dangling from his belt. "Ah, you like my harmonica, huh?" Bambi's ears perked at the sound of the word _harmonica_. Man then took it from his belt and began to play the song that Bambi and Faline heard. As he finished playing, Bambi and Faline heard a voice coming from a strange black object on Man's belt.

"_Ryan, this is Casey. Are you there? Over."_

Man, whose name was obviously Ryan, took the black object and spoke into it. "Yeah Casey, I'm here I'm on my way to the northern meadow. Over."

"_Alright, well the perimeter's almost set up so we're gonna begin combing the area for the poacher. Over."_

"Right, I'll be there in a minute. Over."

"_Good. How many traps did you get? Over."_

"I found and disabled four traps. Over."

"_Nice. Well, like I said, you'd better get moving. Over."_

"Okay, I'm on my way. Out." Ryan put away the device and smiled at the two fawns before stooping down and picking up what Bambi and Faline recognized as a gun, Man's killing device, and they quickly hid in the bushes. They peered out to see Ryan walking away. The two fawns stepped out from the bush, wondering why he didn't shoot them and why he was headed to the north meadow.

"Was that…?" Faline said.

"I…I think that was the Man who hunts Man." Bambi said.

"Maybe."

As they watched the young man head off, the Great Prince and Faline's mother, Ena, came up to them.

"Are you two alright?" the Great Prince said. "We heard that Man was in this part of the forest."

"We saw him, father. He went off over that way." Bambi said. "I think he's the one hunting Man."

"What? Man hunting Man? Where did you hear this?"

"Well…Faline told me. She said that there were Men hunting Men."

"Is that so?"

"I think she's right, dad. That Man came up to me and…well…he petted me on the head."

"What? You were that close?"

"Yeah. So was Faline."

"Faline, what did the Man look like?" the Great Prince said, turning to the young doe.

"Well, he wasn't as old as the hunters. He was probably a teenager and he said something about the north meadow."

"What? The north meadow?" As the Great Prince said this he took off for the north with Bambi and Faline following close behind. They ran and ran until they reached the north meadow. When they arrived, the Great Prince was greeted by a stag.

"My Prince, there's something strange. Man is here and he is accompanied by many others and they are all well armed, but…they aren't shooting at us. They've completely surrounded the meadow, but they don't seem intent on killing any of us. They keep scanning to trees for something."

"That's because it the Men who hunt Men." Bambi said.

"What?" the stag said. "Man that hunts Man?"

"Yeah. We saw him a while ago. He was…" Bambi then looked toward the trees and saw Ryan setting up his area. "That's him over there!" Bambi said and they all looked over to see that he was accompanied by others. Bambi took off toward the men, but the Great Prince stopped him.

"Bambi! You can't go running off toward those people! We don't even know their true nature yet!"

"Then why didn't he shoot Faline and me?"

The Great Prince looked over at the men and thought that what Bambi said made sense. They didn't shoot the two fawns and they weren't shooting now. "Approach them slowly."

As they neared, they saw Ryan loading his weapon and talking to his friend. Bambi recognized the friend's voice as the one on the little black box, the one named Casey.

"So enlighten me on the situation, Ryan."

"Alright, so, there's a poacher in this area by the name of Ron Wilkes. He's been accused of several charges of poaching but never convicted. We're here to both stop any other poachers and, if we're lucky find Ron Wilkes. I managed to disable several traps so he'll have no choice but to head out here or to the south meadow."

"We have that one covered, right?"

"Yep."

"Alright, now explain to me again why he have these rifles."

"They're .22 caliber rifles; 40 grains of gunpowder and a six millimeter projectile. They're enough to incapacitate the guy, but not enough to kill him. We need him alive."

"Right. Got it."

As they were talking, Bambi went up to the two Men. Ryan and Casey saw him and Ryan bent down to and started to pet him again.

"You're that fawn I ran into earlier aren't you?" Ryan said. "Well, aren't you the friendly type?" Bambi smiled and gestured for his father to come closer, and he did so.

"Whoa, Ryan, get a load of this one." Casey said.

"Wow, this is one big stag."

The Great Prince stood tall and proud as he looked at the two young men. He then led Bambi back toward Faline, Ena and the stag.

"I guess that was his father." Ryan said.

Bambi and the Prince returned to the group and explained what they heard. "They aren't looking for _something._ They're looking for _someone_." the Great Prince said. "Bambi and Faline are right. These are the Men who hunt Men."

"Sir, those aren't the only ones." the stag said. He led them to the middle of the meadow and they could see that the meadow was half surrounded by a thin layer of these men. There were about twenty five of them stationed throughout the trees surrounding the meadow, some of them with binoculars, scanning the trees for poachers. Some of them had strange devices that opened vertically and that they were staring at (laptops). "Why do you think they are doing this, my Prince?"

"Man has his own laws. Whatever the Man they are looking for is doing, it must be against their laws. However, it seems as though they are intent on protecting us. If there is something wrong, you will all be alerted. For now, I think the meadow is safe. I'll go see if the south meadow is the same." and the Great Prince left. The rest of the deer and other animals were out playing. Bambi and Faline had found Thumper, Flower and the other young animals and they told them about their encounter with these men (or what we call rangers). They talked about how friendly they were, about their strange devices and about how they first found out about his presence in the forest.

"So what does this heroinca sound like?" Thumper asked.

Faline giggled at Thumper's mispronunciation. "It's called a harmonica and it sounds…well…it's hard to explain." Right after Faline said that, they heard Ryan playing his harmonica. Bambi and Faline began to walk toward the sound and the others followed. Soon he began to attract a small audience. As he was playing, Casey took out his own harmonica and began to play along. Ryan then set his instrument down and began singing to the tune.

_**I hear the mountain birds.  
>The sound of rivers singing<br>A song I've often heard.  
>It flows through me now,<br>So clear and so loud.  
>I stand where I am<br>And forever, I'm dreaming of home.  
>I fell so alone. I'm dreaming of home.<strong>_

As he stopped singing, he looked behind him to see his little audience and chuckled at the sight of it.

"Friendly little creatures, aren't they?"

"Yeah, kinda peculiar." Casey replied. They took a whiff of the air and could smell the scent of food coming from their campsite. "Well, I'm starving. Let's go eat. You think it'll be alright if we left our posts?"

"Yeah, the sentries will alert us if they see anything." Ryan said and they headed toward the camp.

The audience left and headed back to the center of the meadow.

"Did you hear that Bambi?" Thumper said. "He said we were friendly."

"Yeah, we sure did." Faline said.

"They seem to be pretty friendly themselves." Bambi added.

"Well, they are here to help protect us."

The group continued to have fun in the meadow until Thumper and Flower's parents called to them to come home.

"We'll see ya later, Bambi." Thumper said as he sped toward his mother and sisters.

"See ya, Bambi." Flower said as he headed off.

'See ya, guys." Bambi said. Just he and Faline were left.

'Well, I guess we're alone again, Bambi." Faline said with a playful tone.

"Oh…uh…yeah, I guess we are." Bambi said, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, I don't think we were able to see if you could catch me or not." and she ran off giggling, Bambi quickly following. Soon though, it was Faline who fell in a pond and Bambi ran up to her and pinned her to the ground.

"Looks like a got ya." Bambi said and the two giggled. Bambi decided to show a little mercy and let her up and they walked on together. The topic of the rangers soon came back up.

"Bambi, do you think these people can protect us?"

"Well, they sure look like they can. I'm sure we'll be fine." Faline giggled and began to lean in toward Bambi, who suddenly realized what she was doing. But before he decided to return her kiss, one of the ranger sentries began to band on a cowbell and crows began to fly overhead, all of them squawking, "Man!" Bambi and Faline then saw the rangers running to their positions and loading their weapons. The crows' squawking could also be heard in the south meadow and the Great Prince quickly ran back to get his son. Bambi and Faline quickly ran toward where the rangers were and hid in the trees. They were still close enough to hear what the rangers were saying.

"Alright, Kyle, can you see anything out there?" Ryan said into his black box.

"_Nothing yet." _Kyle replied.

"Alright, put me on C-channel. Let me talk to the group." Bambi and Faline then saw one of the sentries toying with a larger box. Ryan then spoke up again. "Alright rangers, keep an eye out for anything on two legs in the trees. You've all been given a photograph of Ron Wilkes so keep an eye out. If it isn't Wilkes watch for what he targets. It looks like the deer have retreated into the trees but there are still a lot of pheasants and quails out here and they're restricted game in this state, so keep an eye out for what he aims at."

It was silent for a while and the tension was building. Thoughts kept running through Faline's head. What if the poacher managed to escape the rangers? What if he sneaked behind them? What if this plan didn't work? Bambi then noticed that she was beginning to cry. He let her lean up against him as he watched the meadow.

"I'm scared." Faline sobbed.

"It's gonna be fine, Faline." Bambi replied. As he said this, the rangers saw something moving in the woods and began to aim at it.

"How many are there?" Casey asked. Ryan then looked up at the sentry and read is hand gestures.

"It looks like there's just one."

"Is it Wilkes?"

Once again, Ryan looked at the sentry who shook his head. "No. Keep an eye out for what he targets though."

The rangers kept their gaze on the field. Soon, a group of pheasants took off and a loud "Bang" was heard in the distance as several of them fell dead. Faline quickly looked away and began sobbing in fear again.

"_He's aiming for the pheasants!" _the black box shouted

"Alright, boys, let's give him some pepper!" Ryan said and all the guns began to erupt. Faline kept in crying as Bambi watched in amazement as the rangers fired at the hunter. He was watching Man hunting Man.

'Bambi, let's go." Faline sobbed. "Please, Bambi."

"Okay." Bambi led Faline to an area where they could be safe. They found a fallen log and hid inside, the sound of the gunshots still very audible. Bambi could see that Faline was still very upset and summoned up the courage to plant a kiss on her cheek. Faline raised her head and looked at Bambi who gave her a kind, reassuring smile. She then began to lean in toward Bambi again. He smiled and leaned in himself and their lips met in a loving kiss. Even with a shootout happening just outside, it seemed as though all their fears had melted.

Faline had never felt happier in her life. Even with the shootout happening, she felt pure love pulsing through her body. It seemed as though all of her fears had melted away. Bambi felt equally happy. He couldn't have ever imagined that he and Faline would ever share such a moment, but now that they were, he couldn't have been more overjoyed. As their lips separated, Faline nuzzled up next to Bambi as the shootout continued. As the shootout neared its end, Faline whispered into Bambi's ear, "I love you." Bambi smiled and kissed her cheek before replying, "I love you too."

Suddenly they heard one of the sentries voices on one of the black boxes. _"We got him! Cease fire! Cease fire!"_

Bambi and Faline left the log to see many of the rangers heading out to where the poacher was. They grabbed him and brought him back to the camp. Bambi and Faline decided to go see what was happening. They saw the poacher on a bed, having the bullets taken out of his wounds.

"Search him!" Ryan said after they finished. They began to pat down his clothes and remove everything from his pockets. The sentry, named Kyle, handed Ryan the man's wallet. He began looking through it for a hunting license, but found nothing.

"Did you find a license anywhere else on him?"

"Nope."

"Sir, put your hands behind your back." Ryan said and the poacher did so. "Handcuff him." The rangers then placed handcuffs on the poacher. "Sir, you are under arrest for hunting restricted game and hunting without a license. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a district attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Kyle, call the gamekeepers office. Tell them to get the police down here."

"You got it." Kyle then went off to call the gamekeeper. Bambi and Faline beat a retreat into the forest.

"Well, that was sure something." Bambi said.

"Yeah…it was." Faline said, nuzzling Bambi. He smiled and placed another kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I should go find my dad. He's probably pretty worried about me."

"Okay, Bambi. I'll see you later. I love you."

"I love you too, Faline. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure." Bambi then left for the den and Faline smiled at her new love and silently thanked their unlikely friend: Man.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Relationship Begins/Ron Wilkes Spotted**

Bambi walked home in a bit of a trance as he thought back to his kiss with Faline. Now he was certain that his feelings for her were legitimate and he couldn't wait for their next meeting. As he was walking, he ran into his father, the Great Prince.

"Bambi! There you are! I was worried about you." the Great Prince said as he nuzzled his son. "Well, what happened in the north meadow? Was anyone hurt? Is Faline alright."

"A few pheasants were killed, dad, but you should have seen it. I got to see those men hunt down the poacher."

"Really? Well, why don't you tell me about it?" The two of them walked back to the den and Bambi told his father about the shootout between the poacher and the rangers. He talked about how the rangers were friendly to him and Faline and how they communicated through those strange black boxes, which the Great Prince revealed to be radios. He also talked about how quickly they responded to the sentries and how they didn't give up.

"Well, it certainly sounds like it was quite a sight." the Great Prince said. "So what did Faline think?"

"Well…she was pretty scared. I took her to find cover in a fallen log as the fight went on." Bambi said without mentioning the kiss. That was something he wanted to talk to his dad about when they got home.

"Well, you certainly are keen in protecting her, aren't you?" the Great Prince said. Bambi smiled and nodded his head. The Great Prince could tell that something was on Bambi's mind, but he just smiled at his son and decided to let Bambi reveal what it was on his own. The two reached the den and Bambi started to think about how he was going to tell his father about Faline.

Faline, meanwhile, was off in the south meadow with her mother. She had already told her mother and a few of her friends (namely Thumper's sister's and mother and a few fawns) about her little romantic moment with Bambi and received positive responses from all of them. Faline told them about what happened during the battle between the poacher and the rangers and how Bambi protected her, though, granted, she dramatized the incident a little bit but not as much as Thumper dramatized his stories. The fawns stated how jealous they were that Faline was the 'favored' of the Young Prince and Thumper's sisters stated how jealous they were that she found someone who loved her before they did.

"Oh, but you still have Thumper. He's your brother so he must love you." Faline said.

"Yeah, but he doesn't want to play with us very much." one of the sisters said.

"We want someone who loves us like Bambi loves you." another said. Faline smiled and blushed at their comment. Thumper's sisters noticed this and began to giggle.

"I still can't believe that you're in love with the Young Prince and he feels the same way." one of the fawns said. "You're so lucky, Faline."

"Well, he and I have been friends for a long time, so it wasn't unlikely for us to end up like this." Faline replied.

"I still think you're lucky."

Faline and the other fawns giggled at the remark. "I guess you're right. I think I'm pretty lucky too." Soon Faline's mother called for her to come home and Faline said goodbye to her friends who all wished her good luck with her new boyfriend, which caused Faline to blush. She then went off with her mother as they walked home.

"So, Faline, it sounds like you and Bambi really like each other." Ena said.

"Yeah. I never thought that he and I would ever end up like this. It's so…amazing."

Ena smiled, knowing that her daughter had found the one she loved and the one who loved her. Ena also couldn't help but overhear about the kiss.

"You know, Faline, I was just about your age when I had my first kiss."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. And another thing, it was with your father."

"You mean that you and dad stayed together for that long?"

"Yes. It's amazing what can happen when you find the one you love."

Faline smiled and thought about Bambi. "Do you think that Bambi and I could end up like you and dad?"

"If you two truly love each other, then perhaps you could."

Faline squealed with joy and began to prance around her mother. Ena soon caught her and nuzzled her before they continued on.

Meanwhile Bambi decided to talk to his dad about his new love interest.

"Hey, dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about…Faline."

"Faline?"

'Uh-huh. While we were out in the meadow, I took Faline to a fallen log to find shelter during the fight."

"Yes, you told me this."

"Well…while we were there…we…we kissed."

"Oh? Is that so? I take it you mean to say that you are falling in love with her."

Bambi nodded his head and the Great Prince began to talk to him about such matters. "Like I told you before, I was a lot like you when I first met your mother, so I understand what you're feeling. You know she and I shared our little romantic moment in the same manner as you and Faline."

"Really?" Bambi said.

"Yes. We were out in the meadow and Man was out hunting. I led her into a thicket where we stayed for about a day. While we were there, we told each other how we felt about one another. You and Faline revealed how you felt about each other while you were trying to protect her."

"So, do you think that Faline and I could end up like you and mother?"

The Great Prince smiled at his son. "If you're anything like me, it is certain."

"Am I anything like you?"

"I'd say you're exactly like me." Bambi beamed a huge smile when he heard his father say that and the Great Prince returned it. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Faline is a very fine young doe, by the way. I'm very happy for you, my son."

The two then got settled in the den and Bambi fell into a peaceful sleep, anxious to see his new love again.

Morning dawned and the Great Prince awakened to see the Bambi wasn't in the den. He stepped outside to see his son up and ready to go. He smiled and thought back to when he had first met Bambi's mother. He would always wake up before his father, eager to accomplish whatever needed to be done so that he could go off and meet his loved one.

* * *

><p>"Morning, dad. We ready to go?" Bambi said.<p>

"Well, you certainly are eager this morning." the Great Prince said.

"I sure am. Are we gonna go?"

The Great Prince smiled at his love-struck son and they went off and preformed their duties for the day. While they were out, they found that the rangers were still in the meadows, looking for the infamous Ron Wilkes. They also found a few of them in the forest, disabling traps and looking for Wilkes's camp. Bambi saw that each of them had a radio and were talking back and forth to each other concerning the whereabouts of the poacher. Soon, Bambi and the Great Prince ended their day a bit early by checking up on the south meadow, where Bambi found that Ryan, Casey, and Kyle were still there. Ryan was sitting by a log and was working on a laptop computer along with Casey while Kyle was doing his usual job of acting as a sentry. They finished surveying the meadow and the Great Prince let Bambi go for the day. At that moment, Faline ran up to Bambi and nuzzled him. The Great Prince smiled and cleared his throat to make his presence known. Faline then took a step back as soon as she noticed.

"Oh…uh, sorry sir."

"It's quite alright, Faline. Why don't you and Bambi go off and have fun. Everything's been taken care of for the day."

"Thank you sir."

The Great Prince smiled at the two and went on his way. As soon as he left, Faline and Bambi went back to nuzzling. The two went off together, talking and sharing a few romantic moments here and there. They then came across Ryan again who was working on a laptop. Casey was there studying what he was doing.

"So, d'you find anything yet?" Casey asked.

"Not yet. The cameras are only showing animals." Ryan replied. "Wilkes is one slippery eel."

"How long have you been looking for him?"

"Two years."

"Wow."

"Yep. Two years and I still haven't caught him." They then caught a pleasant scent in the air. "Well I'll tell you what, the smell of that stew is pretty enticing. Well, I'll set the cameras to record and review them later." The two then left for the camp.

"Bambi, what is that thing?" Faline said, referring to the laptop.

"I don't know. Let's go take a look." Bambi responded. They went over to the laptop to see that there were four separate screens, each one displaying a different part of the forest.

"That's weird. Why do you think they can see the forest on this thing?" Faline asked.

"I guess it's what they called a camera. Maybe that's how they're gonna catch the poacher." Bambi replied.

"I guess." The two then walked off, leaving everything at the rangers' post alone. As they were walking, Faline's friends came up to them.

"Hey there, Faline." one of the does said.

"Oh, hi. Bambi, these are a few of my friends."

"Oh, hello."

"Hello, young prince."

"So, you're Faline's boyfriend, huh?" one of the does said. Bambi blushed a bit at the comment and Faline smiled as she noticed.

"Yeah, he is." Faline said as she nuzzled the young prince, causing the does to giggle. Bambi smiled at Faline and nuzzled her back and the does let out an "awwww".

"So, Faline, what's Man doing over there with those…whatever they are?"

"We think they're looking for the poacher." Faline said.

"Yeah. They have a bunch of different views and each one shows a different part of the forest." Bambi added.

"Why would looking at different parts of the forest help them find the poacher?"

"Well, he could be anywhere. It might help to look everywhere." Faline said.

"I suppose you're right. So is what you said true? These people are trying to protect us?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you and Bambi really got that close?"

"Well, Bambi's been that close a few times." Faline said. As she said this, Ryan and Casey returned to their posts.

"Well, maybe Bambi won't mind showing us him getting that close?" one of the does said. Faline looked at Bambi who smiled and playfully rolled his eyes before heading off toward the rangers while Faline and her friends followed. Bambi walked up to the two rangers who were checking to see if everything was the same as when they had left. Faline and her friends watched as he approached. Ryan then turned around to face Bambi and Faline's friends gasped.

"Well, I just cannot seem to avoid you, can I?" Ryan said as he petted Bambi.

"I'll tell you what, that guy sure seems to have taken a liking to you." Casey said.

"Sure has."

Faline then decided to follow Bambi and walked up beside him. Ryan noticed her and petted her head as well. He then got back to working on his laptop. As soon as he looked at it, though, he noticed something.

"Whoa."

"What's wrong?" Casey said.

"One of my cameras is out."

"Really?" Casey looked at the top left camera view to see a blank screen. "Maybe the battery's dead."

"Can't be. I just put fresh ones in this morning."

"Huh."

"It's still on record so I'll review the footage."

Ryan and Casey looked back through what they had taped and about halfway through, they noticed a pair of legs in jeans walk in front of the camera. They stood there for a while before the camera went blank.

"What the…You think that was Wilkes?"

"It has to have been. He's the only one out here who wouldn't want to be found. It looks like that camera was in the eastern part of the forest. I've already disabled several of his traps so he's probably gonna be headed toward one of the meadows." Ryan got on his radio and contacted Kyle. "Kyle, we think we might have caught Wilkes on the camera. I want you to put all rangers on high alert. Over."

"_Right, I'm on it. Over."_

"Okay, keep a sharp eye on the trees. Casey and I are heading out to look for where Wilkes might have set up camp. Over."

"_Alright. Good luck. Out."_

Ryan and Casey then grabbed their guns and began to head into the forest to look for Wilkes. Bambi and Faline told the others that they should go home where it was safe and Bambi led Faline back to his den, as Faline's was farther away as well as in the eastern part of the forest. As they were leaving, the rangers were taking up their positions around the meadow. The drama of the moment was increased by the gathering of storm clouds. As Bambi and Faline were headed toward the den, the temperature began to drop, also increasing the drama of the moment. It was getting dark as Bambi and Faline made it to the den and Bambi noticed that his father wasn't there.

"Where do you think he is?" Faline said.

"He's probably checking on the rest of the deer in the forest. He'll be back." Soon, the crows began to fly overhead, squawking, "Man!" Faline then moved closer to Bambi and he went outside to try to find something to cover the opening to the den. He found a few branches and leaned them up against the opening as he and Faline hid inside. Faline moved closer to Bambi and he kissed her head, telling her that it was going to be alright. They sat inside the den for a few hours, the temperature dropping to freezing point and Faline nuzzled up to Bambi. The two sat there, waiting for the Great Prince to return, which never seemed to come.

"Do you think he's alright?" Faline asked.

"I'm sure of it. We haven't heard any gunshots yet."

Faline shivered. "It's so cold."

"I know."

"I wonder if it's snowing."

Bambi moved the branches out of the way to see that it _was_ snowing. Faline moved next to where Bambi was at the opening of the den and the two sat there watching the snow pile up on the ground. Some of the clouds parted to reveal that night had fallen as the full moon shone. As it did, the light made the blanket of snow shimmer and the light danced on the snowflakes that were still falling.

"Wow." was all that Bambi could say about the amazing scene before them.

"I can't think of anything more beautiful." Faline said.

"I can."

"What?"

"…You."

Faline's eyes lit up at Bambi's comment and the two started nuzzling each other. They then looked each other in the eyes and shared a passionate kiss as the moonlight's reflection illuminated the den. Their lips separated and they went straight back to nuzzling.

"Yesterday, I was telling my friends how lucky I was to have you as a boyfriend." Faline said as they were nuzzling.

"I'd say I'm the lucky one." Bambi replied and Faline kissed his cheek.

The clouds then blocked the moon and everything went dark again. Faline and Bambi went back in the den and began to fall asleep as they curled up next to each other.

"My mom was also telling me that she and my dad fell in love with each other when they were our age and…well…maybe we might end up like them."

Bambi smiled and kissed Faline's cheek. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Faline giggled quietly, happy to hear that Bambi was just as much in favor of a future together as she was.

"Goodnight, Bambi…I love you."

"I love you too."

The two fawns fell into a peaceful sleep, happy to be in each other's presence.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ryan and Casey trudged through the snow, looking for the infamous Ron Wilkes. The snow was piling up fast and it was becoming difficult to navigate through.<p>

"Ryan, why don't we just turn back?" Casey said. "We're never gonna find Wilkes in this weather."

"Yeah, alright. We'll search for him tomorrow." They began to head back when they saw the glow of a campfire in the distance.

"That can't be our camp, is it?" Casey asked.

"I don't know. Let me check." Ryan replied as he pulled out a pair of binoculars. He looked at the campsite and it seemed empty. He then saw a man walking out of his tent to sit by the fire. We was about six feet tall, middle-aged, with a full beard on his face and a head of brown and gray hair.

"Oh my God! That's Wilkes!" Ryan said and he handed the binoculars to Casey. He pulled out a photograph of Wilkes and it was indeed a match.

"What do you think we should do?"

"…Nothing yet. We'll let him go tonight and we'll get him tomorrow. He'll be away from his camp so we'll be able to take his campsite and arrest him. Also, I think he'd expect us to be looking for him after he disabled the camera, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Alright. Well, let's head back to camp. I'm tired and freezing."

"Same here."

The two rangers headed back to the campsite to make their report. When they returned, they found Kyle and some of the others waiting for them.

"So, what did you find out there?" Kyle asked.

"We found Wilkes. He's in the eastern part of the forest near where our camera was."

"Well, it's about damn time."

"No kidding. Well, we'll inform everyone tomorrow. I'm gonna need some volunteers to help me take Wilkes into custody. I don't think he's gonna be willing to come with us peacefully."

"You got it."

"Alright. Let's get some sleep. We're gonna need our strength tomorrow."

"Good idea."

The rangers hit the sack and Ryan anxiously awaited the day that he would finally capture Ron Wilkes.

* * *

><p>Morning in the forest dawned and Bambi woke up to see Faline sleeping peacefully beside him. He stood up and moved the branches out of the way to see a decent sized blanket of snow covering the ground, the sun's rays reflecting off the ice crystals. He then heard Faline awaken and he turned around to see her smiling at him. He went over and gave her a tender kiss.<p>

"Morning, Bambi." she said.

"Morning, Faline."

"Well, I guess it stopped snowing."

"Yeah it did. There's still a lot of snow though."

Faline looked out to see the thick blanket of snow.

"Well, I suppose we should look for you father. I wonder why he hasn't come back yet." Suddenly they heard a rustling in the distance and Bambi made Faline head back into the den. Bambi crept a little further and as he did, his father appeared out of the foliage.

"Dad?"

"Bambi! Thank goodness you're safe. I'm sorry I couldn't make it back sooner, but the snow was too much. Where's Faline?"

"She's in the den."

The Great Prince looked inside the den to see Faline.

"Oh good. You're alright too. You should probably stay here with us, Faline. The poacher that those rangers have been looking for has been spotted in the eastern part of the forest, near your home. I've already found your mother and she's safe as well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Very well. You two should stay here. I'm going to make sure everyone is alright."

"Okay, dad." Bambi said. The Great Prince left to check on the other deer of the forest, leaving Bambi and Faline at the den.

"Hey, Bambi?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that the rangers really found that poacher? I mean, we didn't hear anything last night."

"I'm sure they'll find him. The crows seemed to make a good reference point. If not last night, then they'll probably get him today."

"You're probably right."

Bambi smiled before kissing Faline on the cheek. The two waited in the den for something to happen. None of the crows had taken off and there were no gunshots. It was complete and utter silence. Bambi kept wondering whether or not the rangers found the poacher. The temperature began to drop again and Faline nuzzled up to Bambi for warmth. They sat in the quiet for a few moments before Faline broke the silence.

"Do you think my mom's going to be safe?"

Bambi kissed Faline before telling her that her mother would be fine. "If my dad says so, then I'm sure of it. He's never broken his word." Just then, the crows began to take off again, all of them squawking, "Man!" and Bambi and Faline knew that the hunt was on. Bambi could feel Faline's heart rate increase.

"It's going to be alright. I promise."

A few hours passed and during that time, the two fawns heard several gunshots, each one seeming closer than the other. Soon they stopped altogether.

The infamous Ron Wilkes headed back to his camp after an unsuccessful hunt. As he came to the site, he saw a young man sitting there, perhaps seventeen years of age.

"Hello, Mr. Wilkes." he said.

"Hello. Who are you?"

"My name is Ryan Wilson. I've been hired by the state government to find you and take you into custody. You are wanted for several crimes related to poaching. If I may ask you to drop your weapon."

Wilkes simply laughed at Ryan. Why would the government hire a seventeen-year-old? "Alright boy, what are you really doing here?"

"I'm not playing games, sir. I'm here to take you into custody. I suggest that you follow my orders."

"Get out o' here, boy. You're trespassing on my campsite."

"I'm not going to argue with you, Wilkes." Ryan then gave a nod of his head and three more rangers came out of the bushes, each one holding a .22 caliber rifle. Ryan then pushed back his coat to reveal that he was carrying a .357 magnum revolver pistol. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air."

Wilkes stood there for a minute before a smug grin came over his face. "So you want me to drop my weapon?"

"Yes. Drop your weapon."

"Fine." Wilkes threw his gun on the ground, but as it hit the sod, it went off, sending a bullet into one of the rangers' feet and Wilkes took off.

"Stop him!" Ryan shouted as he grabbed his pistol and began to shoot at the poacher along with the other rangers. They chased after Wilkes and Bambi and Faline could hear the gunshots at the den. The shots grew louder and louder as they neared and Faline curled up next to Bambi, tears beginning to stream from her eyes.

As the rangers chased Wilkes, a bullet struck one of them in the chest and he went down. "My God! He's got a pistol!" Ryan shouted as he emptied six shots from his revolver. They were very near the den while they were shooting at each other, and Faline was beginning to sob. Bambi saw how scared she was and comforted her as the men shot at each other. He knew that this was much more intense than the first shootout.

Ryan emptied about three cylinders of ammo and was running low. That was when Wilkes made a terrible mistake. He stood up and tried to run, but he ran into the open space in front of the den and Ryan used the last of his ammo to incapacitate Wilkes and disable his arms and legs. We went up to the poacher and rolled him over to cuff him. he then began to search him for a hunting license but the only one he could find had been expired for three years. He also remembered that Wilkes could now be charged for attempted murder as he shot that ranger in the chest.

"Ronald Owen Wilkes, you are under arrest for hunting restricted game, hunting without a license and attempted murder."

"You'd better make that actual murder." one of the rangers said.

"What?" Ryan said in a tone of concern.

"He didn't make it."

Ryan left Wilkes handcuffed and wounded on the ground as he ran over to see the ranger that Wilkes had shot, dead. He looked back at Wilkes with a furious expression on his face before contacting the police for an airlift. The rangers then buried their fallen comrade in the south meadow. Bambi and Faline followed Ryan to see the funeral. They reached the south meadow to see Thumper, his sisters, his mother, Flower, Faline's friends and many others gathered around as the ranger was buried. Ryan then pulled out his harmonica and played a military funeral hymn called _Ich hatt' einen Kameraden_. It was indeed a beautiful hymn and Faline cried into Bambi's chest as she listened to it.

The rangers left to pack up their camp as they had finally accomplished what they set out to do. Ryan packed up his things and Casey came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder.

"There's nothing you could have done, bud."

"I know. That's why I hate that little S.O.B., Wilkes."

"Well, at least you finally got him."

"Yep. Well, let's head out." As Ryan and Casey entered the meadow, they saw that the ranger's grave had been decorated with numerous flowers and emerald green pine needles. He then saw Bambi and his friends standing nearby. He smiled as Bambi came up to him and he petted him on the head.

"Thanks, little guy. That mean quite a bit."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This isn't the end. Consider that to have been an opening skirmish. The final fight between Wilkes and the rangers is yet to come, and trust men, it'll be epic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Last Battle**

A few months passed, and things were very peaceful in the forest. Even with the rangers gone, there weren't any hunters and spring was in full swing. Bambi and the Great Prince enjoyed a period of virtually no work as everything was calm, which allowed Bambi and Faline to advance in their relationship. The two spent much more time with each other than before with the poachers gone, which slightly annoyed Thumper and it definitely annoyed Friend Owl, knowing that the young prince had been twitter-pated. The two fawns spent most of their time in the meadows, the place where they first met Ryan Wilson, and where they had their first kiss. They would spend some days sitting together in the fallen log that they hid in during the first battle, just enjoying each other's presence…and sharing a few romantic moments. Even though it was all over, the hunt for Ron Wilkes was a popular topic between the two of them. The two would reflect back to those few days and think about how that small conflict helped to spark their relationship. If it hadn't been for that first small fight, they probably wouldn't have ended up together. They would also visit the grave of the fallen ranger from time to time to make sure that the cross that marked his spot was still in good condition. They didn't understand what the cross meant, but they knew it was important to the humans.

A couple more months passed and summer had arrived. Bambi and Faline were still spending as much time as possible together. The Great Prince definitely noticed this and it reminded him of when he first met Bambi's mother. Like Bambi, he would wake up before his father and was always eager to get his daily tasks over with so he could spend time with his loved one. He was definitely happy that his son had found someone that he loved. Their peace wouldn't last very long though. Soon, Ron Wilkes would return. Things remained relatively quiet for a while. Bambi and Faline were out together in the meadow, visiting the fallen log again. There they sat, leaning against each other, just talking. Faline then brought up something that had been on both of their minds for a while.

"Hey, Bambi?"

"Hmm?"

"You know back a few months ago, when we were at the den and…well, we were talking about maybe having a future together?"

"Of course I do."

"Well…I was wondering, now that things have quieted down and that we have been able to look at our relationship a little closer…what you still think about that possibility."

Bambi smiled and nuzzled his beloved. "I still haven't changed my mind. I'm still as much in favor of it now as I was then. I love you."

A tear of joy came into Faline's eye as she kissed Bambi.

"I love you too…so much." she replied. Suddenly, the two heard rustling in the distance, accompanied by the voice Man. They recoiled, assuming that it was a hunter…until they noticed that the crows hadn't sounded an alarm. The only time that happened was when the rangers were there. Bambi went outside the log to see a number of men, many more than before, setting up a camp. There were also a number of them scanning the trees. Each of them was armed with an M-16 rifle. Bambi looked with curiosity and then he saw a familiar face. It was the face of Ryan Wilson. He was overjoyed to see the young ranger again, but suddenly he realized that there was only one reason he would be there: a poacher.

_Five months earlier…_

Ron Wilkes had been transported back to the state capital of Denver, Colorado, after being arrested by the young Ryan Wilson. He was accused of several charges of poaching and second degree murder. The trial was to take place three days later. Ryan was anxious to see what the verdict was. He figured that for killing a man, he deserved nothing less than life imprisonment. He attended some of the court meetings to see if Wilkes got a fair trial, so to speak.

The trial lasted for a period of three months, much longer than previously anticipated. Soon though, the jury entered with a verdict. Ron Wilkes was found guilty as charged. However, his sentence enraged Ryan. Casey called him when the verdict was released.

"PAROLE?" Ryan shouted into the phone.

"That was the sentence." Casey replied.

"You mean to tell me that after being found guilty of several charges of poaching and second degree murder, his only punishment was parole!"

"Well, the court couldn't find any evidence that he committed the murder and he was able to clear himself from some of his poaching offenses."

"Jesus. What the hell is wrong with our court system? Well, how long is he on parole?"

"About two months."

"Two months! His trial lasted longer than that!"

"I know. It's ridiculous."

"You do know that as soon as his parole is up, he's gonna be out there again.'

"Maybe. Let's hope that he reforms while serving his time."

Two months passed and Wilkes' sentence was up. Things were relatively quiet for a few days, until the rangers were called in to the governor's office. Ryan and Casey walked down the hallway of the capital building that led to the governor's office. They entered to see the governor sitting at his desk and he smiled at the two young rangers.

"Well, I've heard a lot about you two. I hear that you're acquainted with on Mr. Ron Wilkes."

"Yes, sir. We are." Ryan said.

"Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. He's back in business…and worse. He's rounded up some other hunters to make something of a protest against the court system of this state."

"_He's_ got something to complain about with the court system?" Ryan said. The governor new exactly what he was hinting at and gave a nod to acknowledge his point.

"We've been able to determine that none of these hunters have licenses and there's another thing…We found the gravesite of the ranger murdered by Ron Wilkes a few days ago. Now, we want you two to go after him. I am giving you a full warrant for the arrests of every one of those men and, if necessary, authorization for use of deadly force."

"Well, I hope we can find ourselves another group. They were disbanded after Wilkes' arrest." Casey replied.

"Not a problem." The governor reached under his desk and pulled out a list of names of people who had signed on to help Ryan and Casey hunt down Wilkes.

"Alright, sir. We won't disappoint you." Two days later, the rangers entered the forest.

_End flashback_

Bambi and Faline watched as the rangers set up their positions. Bambi reasoned that it was probably a good idea to head back to the den. Bambi led her back where they met the Great Prince.

"Dad, the rangers are back."

"What? Why would they return?"

As he said this, the crows flew overhead, squawking, "Man!" and the Great Prince realized what was happening. He then bolted off toward the north meadow and Bambi hid Faline inside the den. He was about to head off to check on the south meadow, but he was stopped by his love.

"Please don't go, Bambi." Faline pleaded. "What if you're…"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." He replied before giving her a passionate kiss. "I'll be back. I promise."

"Okay. I love you, Bambi."

"I love you too." Bambi then headed off toward the south meadow, where Ryan was. As he neared, he began to hear gunshots, only they were much louder than before. He arrived at the south meadow to see the rangers shooting at the trees with their M-16s. Ryan had ordered the rangers to keep their weapons on semi-automatic, so they wouldn't kill the poachers unless intended. He hid and watched the fire fight unfold. Earlier, some of the poachers were seen advancing on the rangers' position, apparently intent on harming them. What the rangers didn't know was that Wilkes was alerted of the rangers' presence and told his hunters that they were to bump their protest up a notch and the hunters began to target the rangers directly. Bambi could see the flashes of the poachers' shots in the trees opposite them and some of the bullets only barely missed him. He checked all parts of the trees on their side to find them clear. After checking everything, he ran back the den to see if Faline was okay.

As Bambi was headed back, a poacher came near the den with his gun in hand. Faline heard him and recoiled in fear. _Please hurry, Bambi_ was all she was thinking. The poacher then noticed that there was something moving in the den and he went up to the opening and peered inside to see Faline inside.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little doe, and how lovely a trophy you'd make." He raised his rifle and pointed it toward Faline. But just as he was about to pull the trigger, Bambi ran up and knocked him to the ground. The poacher got up again and grabbed his gun, but was knocked down again by the young fawn. They fight continued for a few minutes before the Great Prince arrived and charged the poacher, knocking him into a nearby creek. He then ran back for camp out of fear, leaving his weapon behind. The Great Prince went up to the gun and smashed it with his hooves.

'Well, you did an excellent job, Bambi."

"Oh, uh, thanks dad."

"Is everyone in the north meadow safe?"

"Yeah, and the rangers are already at work."

"Good. I have to check on the rest of the woods. You stay here with Faline while I go see if her mother is alright."

"Okay."

Bambi stayed at the den while the Great Prince saw to the rest of the forest. The whole day, gunshots rang out through the forest. The two fawns had nothing to do but stay in the den and wait it out. Bambi did anything to try to comfort Faline. They talked about the last few months of their relationship, they joked about how easily Wilkes would be stopped and Bambi made the greatest effect by talking about the future that he and Faline had talked about. This included when they'd like to marry (for lack of a better term) and where in the forest they'd like to live.

"You know, the northern part is really nice." Faline said. "I even know a place to build a den. It's right by a beautiful waterfall and the stream almost never freezes over."

"I think I know what place you're talking about. It's near where my mom and dad first met."

Faline giggled and nuzzled up to Bambi as the two thought about what it would be like to live alone together. Just then, more gunshots rang out.

"I just hope that day will come." Faline said.

"Don't worry, Faline. I promise that day will come."

Night fell and the first day of battle came to a close. Faline had fallen asleep and Bambi was keeping watch to make sure that Faline didn't fall to such danger as having a hunter nearly kill her. Bambi was a bit worried by the fact that his father had not yet returned, though he kept assuring himself that with such a huge conflict going on, he was probably working pretty hard. Faline awoke to see Bambi sitting at the entrance to the den. She got up and sat beside him.

"He hasn't come back yet, has he?"

"Nope."

"I'm sure he's fine, Bambi. He's probably just making sure that everyone in the forest is alright."

Bambi smiled at Faline and they sat and stared at the light of the full moon.

"Hey, Bambi, um, I was thinking about something."

"What?"

"Well, I know that you're probably going to tell me not to worry, but I…I'm just saying that one of us might get hurt in this conflict, considering how big it is…and I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either, Faline. I love you too much." Bambi replied.

"And I know that we're still a bit too young to actually do what we're planning, but…I wanted to know if you wanted to go ahead and…take the first step."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean…get married, I guess."

"Married?"

"Like I said, we're both still pretty young, but also like I said, I don't want to lose you. We're both in love with each other enough so, would you be willing. That way, after this is all over, we can go through with our plans together."

Bambi was silent for a moment as he took it all in, but soon a smile came across his face. "Well first of all, I think the boy is supposed to ask the girl, isn't he?"

Faline giggled at his remark. "Well, go ahead then."

"Faline, will you marry me?"

Faline smiled and nuzzled the young prince. "Of course I will." Bambi smiled and the two fawns shared a passionate kiss in the light of the moon. As their lips separated, an old friend flew in to see the two fawns.

"Oh, Young Prince. It's good to see that you're alright. Oh, and you too Faline."

"Hello Friend Owl." Bambi said.

"Well, this sure is some sort of mess, isn't it? I happened to notice that there are more of them rangers this time. I suppose that means more hunters."

"A lot more. You should have seen the fight in the southern meadow. My father is off to make sure the meadows are safe."

"Well, that's fine. I was just about to ask you where he was too. Well, stay hidden, you two. I'm off."

"Wait!" Faline said.

"Yes, what is it."

"Well, can you do Bambi and me a huge favor?"

"What is that?"

"Can you…can you marry Bambi and me?"

"Excuse me!" Friend Owl said in a tone of complete shock.

"Faline and I want to be married. Would you do the honor of marrying us?" Bambi said.

Friend Owl shook his head at the two fawns. "You know, at would say that you're twitter-pated, but at this point, you're far beyond twitter-pated." he said in annoyance.

"Whatever. Faline and I still want you to marry us. Will you please do this for us?"

"Well…oh, alright." Friend Owl sighed. "But just because I can't refuse the Young Prince."

Faline and Bambi smiled at Friend Owl, for two reasons: out of joy, and out of amusement from his annoyance.

"Well, let's get on with it. Now, Young Prince, do you take Faline to be your wife and all that other stuff?"

Bambi laughed at Friend Owl's attempt to get everything over with. "Yes."

"And do you, Faline take the Young Prince to be your husband and everything else?"

"Yes." Faline said with a huge grin on her face.

"Well, then, I pronounce you two as a married couple and before you two go kiss, allow the reverend to turn around just one moment." Friend Owl did so and Bambi and Faline shared their first kiss as a married couple. Friend Owl looked behind him to see their lips locked and he gave a roll of his eyes.

"Well, now that that's settled, I need to go find your father. Stay safe, you two. I'm sure it won't be long before things start heating up again." and Friend Owl left the two fawns. Faline nuzzled Bambi as the two sat in the silence of the night, comforted by the fact that they at least made it thus far in their relationship. The two then began to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

Morning dawned and Ryan Wilson was up and at his post. So far nothing of interest was happening. No suspicious activity, no gunshots, and no reports from the other ranger posts. Yet for some reason, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. If the poachers weren't near the area, why was the meadow so quiet? The deer wouldn't retreat into the forest until the hunters showed up, yet the meadow was completely empty. Casey came up to Ryan and surveyed the area with his binoculars.

"This is odd. Where are they?" Casey said.

"I don't know, but I have a weird feeling about this." Ryan replied. By 8:30, all the rangers in all parts of the forest were up and going, yet everything remained quiet. As the men were eating breakfast, gunshots rang out and Ryan's group ran to their posts. The poachers were there, firing on them with every bullet they had. The rangers quickly geared up and fired back, but three men were killed in the opening moves alone. The gunshot woke Bambi and Faline in the den and they knew exactly what was happening. The two stayed in the den where it was safe listening to the fire fight. Suddenly, Friend Owl returned to the den.

"Young Prince, Faline, follow me! We're evacuating to the western part of the forest! The hunters are on their way here!"

Bambi and Faline looked at each other in shock before standing up and quickly running for the western section. They were met by several other animals on the way, all of them scared out of their wits by what was happening. The fight between the rangers and hunters was so huge that the gunshots were still very audible as they ran from them. Bambi made sure to stay with Faline the whole way. Soon, they arrived in the western section of the forest with the others.

"Alright, is that everyone?" Friend Owl said. "Alright, good. I'll be back. I'm going to find the Great Prince." and he took off. As soon as he left, though, there was a problem.

"Wait!" a female possum said. "My son. Where is he!" In a rush to evacuate, someone had been left behind. Bambi knew that no one else would go to look for him and, by the sound of the gunshots, the hunters were closing fast.

"I'll go back to get him. Where is he?" Bambi said.

"In the southern part of the forest."

"Wait here. Don't worry." and the young prince took off. Faline tried to stop him but was too late. Bambi ran and ran until he came near the southern meadow. He found that the poachers were advancing and had pushed the rangers away from the meadow and further into the forest. He took shelter near a fallen log as the fight raged. Ryan and Casey were hiding as well, firing on the poachers.

"You know what's ironic?" Casey said. "We were sent her in the first place to arrest these guys for poaching. Now look at what this has become."

"Yeah, I'll tell you what, it's like a war zone out here. Plus we've already lost seven men. You see, this is why I hate extremists."

Just then, a voice came up on Ryan's radio.

"_This is bravo company in the eastern sector. We've come under direct assault. Repeat, we'v come under direct assault."_

"Damn it!" Ryan said. He then got on his radio to contact the capital. "This is Ryan Wilson! All ranger groups have come under direct assault! Seven men from alpha company have been killed! Requesting authorization for the use of deadly force! Over!" he shouted into the radio. A few moments later, a voice came over the radio.

"_This is the capital. Use of deadly force authorized. Happy hunting."_

Ryan got on his radio one last time and shouted into it, "Alright rangers, set all weapons to full automatic. We've been given permission to use deadly force. Time to send these bastards a message." He then charged his M-16 and shouted "Fire at will!" All of the ranger's guns erupted as they spewed out entire magazines in just seconds. Bambi looked out to see that the hunters were being cut down like trees and soon they began to rout. The rangers followed them and took up their original positions as the poachers tried to run back across the meadow, making them perfect targets. The rangers opened fire and every last one of the poachers fell dead to their bullets. However, that wasn't even a third of Ron Wilkes' group. After that, Ryan ordered all rangers to disperse and hunt down the remaining criminals.

Bambi quickly remembered what he was doing and went back out to look for the young possum that was left behind. As he was searching, he ran into Faline.

"What are you doing here! Go back! It isn't safe out here!" Bambi said.

"I'm not letting you go out alone. I'm not leaving you. Remember, I'm your wife now, and remember what 'all that other stuff' is. I'm sticking with you forever."

Bambi tried to think of an argument to get Faline to go back to safety, but to no avail. "Fine just be careful."

"No problem."

The two continued their search as they constantly tried to avoid the fight. By now it had broken out all throughout the forest. Many animals were still trying to escape the battle as it escalated. Soon, the two fawns found the young possum and began to lead him back to the western section of the forest. As they were headed back, they were stopped by a quail.

"Young Prince, you must help! There are still animals in the other parts of the forest! You must help them escape."

"Don't worry. I will. Faline, take this little one back to his mother."

"No. I'm staying with you."

Bambi sighed and the quail offered to lead the young possum back to his mother as Bambi and Faline headed out for the rest of the forest. They headed straight into the thick of the battle, looking for anymore stranded animals. While they were there, they saw the battle up close. Some of the poachers chose to stand and fight, many of them being killed in doing so, while others gave up and handed themselves in. So far, there was no sign of Wilkes. Soon, the couple came across Ryan and Casey, who were pinned down behind a log by a number of hunters. They fought and fought and soon, Casey fell to the ground in a shriek of pain. Ryan's eye grew wide as he pulled out a tear gas grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the enemy. It went off, sending the hunters in all different directions and Ryan used his M-16 to bring a few of them down. He then dragged Casey to a safe distance to treat his wound. He tore Casey's clothes where he had been hit and began laughing.

"What are you laughing about!" Casey shouted.

"It's a scratch! Look it's nothing and you're screaming like a stuck pig!"

Casey then pulled a mangled piece of metal out of his pocket. "He destroyed my favorite harmonica. 'Oh you rotten sons of bitches!"

Ryan continued to laugh, "Jesus. You scared the shit out of me!"

As he was tending to Casey's wound, he spotted Bambi and Faline watching him.

"Get out of here, you two!" he shouted at them. "Go on! Get out of here!" and Bambi and Faline did so. They ran off in search of others in need. As they were searching, they were found by a few of the poachers and they recognized one of their faces: Ron Wilkes. The hunters pursued the two for quite some time, but the fawns were too fast. Bambi led Faline back to the den and hid her inside.

"Just stay here. You'll be fine. I promise I'll be back to get you."

"Okay." Faline said tearfully. "I love you."

"I love you too." Bambi gave Faline what they both thought could be their last kiss and he darted off into the forest to look for others. Wilkes still hunted the two fawns and was able to catch sight of Bambi running through the woods and took a few shots at him, a decision that would turn out to be a mistake. As soon as he fired off, his position was given away and several rangers began to head toward the sound of shots. Bambi managed to search the rest of the forest, even with Wilkes on his tail (no pun intended) and began to head back to where Faline was. As he was running, he heard a loud 'BANG' and a sharp pain entered his leg as he fell to the ground. Suddenly, he heard more shots, only they were the gunshots of M-16s. as he tried to stand up, he saw Ron Wilkes run past him and toward the den, Ryan Wilson following close behind. Ryan saw Bambi on the ground and decided to let his rangers hunt down Wilkes in his stead. He knelt down beside Bambi and reached into his bag for a medical kit. As he was patching the fawns leg, several gunshots rang out, none of them being the sounds of M-16s. he quickly finished patching Bambi's leg and he ran in the direction of the gunshots, Bambi following close behind. Bambi ran back to the den to find that Faline was still alright. The two nuzzled each other, happy to see that they were alright. Ryan's find, however, wasn't so comforting. The rangers he sent after Ron Wilkes were dead. His eyes began to fill with rage, but then he heard a sound behind him; the sound of a snapping branch.

He began to reach for his pistol, but was suddenly jumped by the infamous Wilkes and a fight soon broke out. The two separated and took cover behind fallen trees as they shot at each other. During the fight, Ryan ran out of M-16 .223 bullets and began to use his .357 magnum pistol. The fight continued for several minutes and both men were running low on ammunition. Then, Wilkes repeated the mistake he made when he was first captured and attempted to run, making him a perfect target for the young ranger. Ryan pulled the trigger and the poacher fell to the ground, but still alive. Ryan came out from behind cover and walked up to the poacher. Wilkes began to reach for his gun but stopped as Ryan pulled back the hammer on his pistol. Wilkes looked down the barrel of the gun with a look of terror on his face before it turned into a smug grin.

"It's empty." he said.

"Really? Do you actually want to take that chance? You do realize that this is a .357 magnum revolver and if it is still loaded…well, considering where I'm aiming, there'll be no question whether you live or die. You're a dead man. So just ask yourself, 'is this really a gamble I'm willing to make?'"

Wilkes smile dimmed at the ranger's speech. But soon it reappeared as he tried to reach his gun, but he was too late. As he leapt for it, Ryan pulled the trigger and there was what seemed to be a sound of thunder as Ron Wilkes fell to the ground…dead.

Ryan holstered his pistol and stood there, looking at the man he'd just shot, before walking back to his cover and gathering his equipment. Bambi and Faline took this opportunity to head to the western part of the forest. As they headed that way, the gunshots slowly began to dim. Soon, they stopped altogether. The members of the forest sat together in their little sanctuary for about another hour, when all of a sudden, large vessels, cruising through the air on spinning blades flew overhead.

Ryan had called in a police force to help take the poachers that they had captured into custody. He then got on the radio and contacted the governor's office.

"Sir, this is Ryan Wilson reporting the status of the protest. I would like to report that twenty-two of our fifty-three members are dead, twelve are wounded. Forty-five of the ninety-four criminals are dead, none wounded. Ron Wilkes is among the dead. All poachers who were killed were done so in accordance with the law."

"_Very well. You did a good job out there. As a token of my appreciation, you and your team will not be held accountable for the deaths of those poachers. Just clean up around the area and come on home."_

Ryan and the team then went back into the forest to retrieve the bodies of the dead. As they were cleaning up, Bambi came up to him one last time.

"Well, it was nice knowing you, little guy. You guys are all clear now. Take care of that leg of yours." Ryan said with a smile. By early afternoon, all the animals were back in there original homes and the rangers had left. Bambi and Faline headed back to the den where they met the Great Prince and Faline's mother, Ena. The two parents nuzzled their children, thankful that they were safe. Then, a topic of interest was brought up.

"Friend Owl told us something quite interesting. Is it true what he told us? Did he marry the two of you?"

Bambi and Faline both felt their blood rush to their faces as they were asked this and both their parents laughed.

"If it is true, we aren't upset." Ena said. "We couldn't be happier for you two. Is it true?"

Bambi and Faline smiled at each other before they said in unison, "Yes."

Both the Great Prince and Ena smiled and nuzzled their children, happy that they had advanced so far in a relationship together.

As the days after the last battle passed, Bambi and Faline finally had a chance to take off in their married life and their parents helped as well, they both found new places to live so that their children would be closer to each other and the Great Prince allowed Bambi to spend more time with Faline by relieving him of his daily duties, which the Great Prince reasoned would allow Bambi to get fully used to a life with his loved one. Things in the forest had never been more peaceful and not a day went by that Bambi and Faline didn't give thanks to Ryan Wilson and his rangers, their most unlikely friends.


End file.
